If a Mummy of more than one tells you it’s easy to exercise and get back to shape post-birth, she’s either lying, has a Nanny or is very lucky. Every now and then, I have odd snippets of time where I get out to exercise, but not regularly enough to make any difference, so that leaves only one option. Exercise at home, either whilst the children are sleeping or when they are in the room. I have tried some exercise DVDs when the children are in the room, but the aerobic-type ones aren’t conducive to having a small child around your feet; it gets messy, and someone gets hurt eventually, normally me falling over one of them!
Now, the Jane Wake Ante- and Post-Natal Baby A-Wake Exercise DVD is perfect as I have been able to do this with the children in the room, and Little Bean even joins in with me. Beanie Boy just climbs all over me or giggles until he gets hiccups at Mummy lying on the floor (I don’t know why that is so funny; it just is?).
Jane Wake was voted No. 1 Fitness Expert by the Independent on Sunday, she has over 20 years experience in sports and fitness. Eight years ago, Jane began to specialise in ante and postnatal fitness and, in 2008, created the Baby A-Wake programme. She has a Master of Science in Sport and Recreation Management, and I was lucky enough to meet her at a Boots event in London. I had a chat with her about my post-pregnancy fitness and explained that I was struggling to even manage one sit-up as it was too painful on my stomach and back. She asked me to lie down and examine my abdomen before declaring that I still had three-finger separation, so I shouldn’t even be attempting a sit-up as this could be more damaging than good. Jane then showed me a couple of exercises that I should do to strengthen my abdomen and close my tummy muscles. The exercises are on the DVD, so I have been able to continue doing these at home (I’m not very good at remembering everything at the moment!).
Filmed just seven weeks after Jane gave birth to her daughter, Jane shows how you can exercise with your baby. Little Bean decided to fetch her ‘baby’ so that she wasn’t left out. There are different stages you can try, beginner and advanced, and the workouts are split into 10-30 minute sections so that you can pick and choose a workout that suits your mood and timeframe. If you’re feeling energetic, there are three aerobic exercises (postnatal), and when you’re feeling a little less like jumping around, there are two Pilates and Stretch sessions.
I have been doing a mixture of the exercises for a couple of weeks now, and I’m definitely starting to notice a difference. The DVD also features helpful health hints and tips.
The DVD can be purchased from Boots.com.